


Hear You, Feel Me

by Saucy_Bobbypin



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Horrortale (Undertale), Awkward skellie, Blindness, Cliche, Different characteristics, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, For ShaY, Horrortale Papyrus (Undertale), Horrortale Sans (Undertale), Insecure sans, POV Alternating, Reader-Insert, Romance, Sans is different from my original fic, Sans is scared of touching, Smut, Sorry it got out of hand, Soulmates, Touchy-Feely, Violence, Voice Kink, Yes I know, bad memories, may be a little, not that much angst though, this was supposed to be a oneshot
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-03
Updated: 2019-03-12
Packaged: 2019-11-08 11:40:24
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17980640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Saucy_Bobbypin/pseuds/Saucy_Bobbypin
Summary: You are a receptionist at the monster career centre, helping monsters apply for new jobs and blend into this new society. Monsters? Yeah, they`ve been through a hard time, it`s been mere months since they broke the barrier, they need help to mingle in with the pussycat humans.How come are you not scared?Well... You`re blind. Always have been. What you can`t see really doesn`t scare you.But you can smell. You can feel. You can hear.Maybe you shouldn`t have been able to hear, though... what can you do but fall in love with this adorable skeleton when he has the most beautiful voice you`ve ever heard in your pitch-black life?You`re so sure the feeling of his bones will be as sweet as what reaches your ears- time to find out.





	1. Do I Have A Voice Kink?

**Author's Note:**

> Okay... I know, I know... This was supposed to be a requested one-shot. It turned out to be way longer than one chapter, though... Sorry man. I hope you guys like it.
> 
> For ShaY!  
> Thanks for requesting mate!
> 
> Sans`s personality and manner of speech here are all different from what I set up for my original fanfic(link below), so please consider the two as different characters!  
> This fic is wholly based on the post-barrier-break tense Horrortale Alternate Universe, no other AUs included.
> 
>  
> 
> Check out my original fanfic, [A Fridge Full of Sauce](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17668517/chapters/41671298)!

Another dull day at the center.

Well, not so dull now, as there are monsters all over the city now!  
It had been mere months since the legend of the monsters were proven when the barrier broke- things weren`t so pretty at first, but the human race was adjusting fast. Besides, considering all that gold the monsters brought with them, the monsters were able to mingle into the society as fast as the humans did. They seemed to be famished all the time at first… But they soon solved that, too, when they realized they could buy all the food to last a lifetime with that sheer amount of gold.

The only problem was that the human race were pussycats- And they were honestly just really scared of what they saw.  
Well- you couldn`t see- literally- and that, naturally, became a huge advantage in servicing careers. Say, receptionists or stuff like that.

As a result, that ability- or lack thereof- earned you the job as a receptionist at the monster career center.

 

Working there really changed your way of seeing monsters. (Ooh, no pun intended!) Originally, just by stuff you had heard, you had thought of them to be starved, famished beings who were more than capable of cannibalism and therefore very dangerous… Insane, everybody called them. Insane and _very_ dangerous.

But, in reality, they were just curious of this new world, treating it like a miracle. They were determined to put the wrong back to right. They wanted to make changes- in good ways.  
They were just adjusting, that was all.  
And there were very many monsters who came up to your desk every day, saying they had a really good singing voice, they were good at cleaning, they were really strong and good at guarding, good at baking pastries… They were all talented, and so many of them came aiming to do some good with those insane talents.

The latest was Muffet- her donuts had you swooning.

_“Ahuhuhuhu… Normally, they`ll cost you a fortune, but I`ll let it pass because you`re such a sweetie.”_

Aww. Who called them insane and dangerous?! You would FIGHT!

And Muffet did pass the culinary career interview with _high_ points, too.

 

Now, you were basking in the sliver of sun you could feel on a patch of your face. There were no applicants so far today, and the small desk was too small of a world for you to be entertained. Ugh, boring… There were not a lot of things to do when you were blind and alone in a quiet place. Maybe daydream? But you might actually fall asleep- that would be mortifying.

Just when you were about to start dozing off, you could hear footsteps heading your way- Thank gods! An applicant! Oh, what kind of monster would this one be? What talents would he or she have?

And suddenly- that voice. That voice- that voice hit you out of nowhere.

 

“u…um. i… came to apply…”

 

Oh… The moment you heard this voice, you could feel the blood rushing to your brain like you had been suddenly flipped upside down. The insides of your eyelids suddenly felt too hot, the lump in your throat blocked out your air supply- Gods, the voice!

It was gruff. Hoarse, maybe, if whispered? Low, could pass as rough- but the tone itself was cautious, giving it a gentle touch. It would go well with rock music, you thought… then changed your mind. No, it would lose its subtle lilt if the owner was to scream out the notes. Jazz! Yes, Jazz would be the answer- That voice would be marvelous with maybe Louis Armstrong pieces? Yes, it would. too husky for Frank Sinatra- But it would still sound good regardless. The baritone touches seemed to resonate directly in your chest… Oh… Was he here to sing? You would definitely dig _that_.  
And all that from just one sentence! It wasn`t even melodic! His voice made it all melodic, though, the voice was sad and slightly lilted yet so full of hidden power and chest strength…

 

Shit. Were you just-  
You had just started daydreaming with an applicant in front of you. God, it must`ve been a full minute! You silently cursed yourself and pulled your features together. Get your shit together, get ahold of your fucking voice kink!

Wait- you had a voice kink?

Well, NOT the time to think about it!!!

“Oh! OH! I`m sorry about that! Uh, applicant, right? Sure! Um, can you fill out this form for me?”

Good, Y/n, real smooth. _Real_ smooth.

You fished out a sheet for the new monster to fill in, trying not to grimace at your own reply. Oh, there went your chance of maybe striking up a conversation. Fuck. And you were _so_ sure this guy would grow to be a damn celebrity! Ugh, maybe he would at least remember you as that weird receptionist woman at that teensy desk?

 

“u…m… do you have… something to… write with…?”

 

Oh… that voice again. Hits you right in the chest. But this time, you were ready. At least, more ready than last time.

“Oh! Silly of me, of course! Just a sec- Sorry-“

The pen. Quick! Give him the pen! Where`s the pen?! Where-

“God, I`m sure it was around here somewhere, I-“

Your fingers fumbled around frantically. Great, now he`ll think about why you`re even here at the desk- You weren`t always like this, you were usually very organized… Oh, where the fuck was it?! Oh- SHIT!!!

You barely had time to yelp when you felt the side of your left hand bump into the tumbler you had at the corner of your desk. Oh… it was going to spill, you knew it, you were so fucking messed up, you just _had_ to be clumsy that one moment…

 

But… somehow, the very much anticipated _crash!!_ of the steel tumbler did not reach your ears.

 

“OH!! Did it spill?!” Was all you could manage to squeak out. Great, asking the _applicant_ for help now. To make things worse, your voice was probably several octaves higher than what you had started off with. Jeezus…

“…no. i caught it.”

 

Wut?

 

What?? How could this guy be _that_ fast?? And you didn`t even hear him reaching out- But sure enough, the tumbler was there on the desk…

And this guy had helped you!!!!!

You felt yourself going red. C`mon, get it together!! NOT the time to get all damsel and shit!!

“THANK YOU!”

Shit! Too loud! Very smooth, Y/n, great job.  
You punched yourself mentally.

“Oh, I`m so terribly sorry for the trouble! As you can see, I`m blind… Ah, I really shouldn`t keep you waiting- Here, i did find the pen after all. Just fill out that form and give it to me, then they`ll find a place for you to apply for…”

Please. Stop talking, you moron.  
You trailed off. Great, you probably looked like a beet now.

“I`m talking too much again. Here! It isn`t long.”

You handed over the man the pen you finally found (thank the lords above).  
Well, to be exact, tried to wave it in the direction of his voice.

His touch caught you off guard- brushing over your fingers as he took the utensil. Smooth… and hard, but warm. Wood? No, it was even smoother, more weight- Ah. Bones. The tingle of magic- he would be a skeleton.

Just like that lad a few weeks ago!

 

Papyrus, his name was, had come to your desk on a sunny day with a pulse of energy you could practically _feel_ in his excited footsteps.

_”Hello!!!”_

His voice was really loud sometimes. It made you wince at first, but you soon got used to it as it wasn`t unpleasant loud, more like loud music. Very upbeat and cheerful. It wasn`t loud _all_ the time either, just occasionally, when he got excited about something. And boy, him getting excited was saying a LOT! He was so happy all the time it was contagious.

He had actually started a conversation with you while he was waiting. He told you about his lazy brother, how there were so many dogs on the Surface, how he loved spaghetti, how he would absolutely ROCK this job he was applying for.

You were sure he totally would.

And, to nobody`s surprise, he did pass with very good scores. His physical abilities were endless, you heard. Something the humans couldn`t get enough of. He`d make a great policeman someday- maybe even the special force!

Of course, he would maybe have a hard time if he were to go undercover, what with his extreme height. You had been startled by the source of his voice- even though your sense of distance could not be accurate, you were sure he would probably be over at least eight feet tall, judging by the way you had to actually crane your neck to face the direction where his voice was coming from.

Meh. No wonder he was absolutely delighted when you talked to him with a smile. The fact (which he told you himself) that he was a full-on skeleton combined with his height would`ve been terrifying to most humans.

 

Now, this guy wasn`t as tall as Papyrus, but he was still quite tall for human standards. Maybe a head over the average? A head and a half?  
And his footsteps told you he was heavily built as well. Still something for the scaredy-cat humans to be afraid of.

He was taking quite a bit of time filling out the form, you realized. Maybe he has problems with the pen? There were some monsters who didn`t have hands, after all. But Papyrus had hands! Maybe this guy was different?  
You decided to, uh, ask.

“Uh… Are you done?”

To your immense relief, you heard the crackling of paper, and the familiar smooth material of the form sheet touched your hand as the monster passed it over. The pen was tucked in at one corner.

“Thanks! Um, could you wait a little? I`m sorry, there aren`t any chairs nearby- It won`t take that long, though!”

Jeez. C`mon, you silently cursed the manager, put some chairs in here! Monsters need chairs, too! Embarrassing- this was just racist!

To your relief, the guy in front of you just muttered a quiet “m`kay.” as his feet shuffled in front of the desk.

 

Oh… what you wouldn`t give to hear that voice for just one more second. Maybe you could strike up a conversation? No, you had messed up way too much already, not the time to call applicants out of the blue just to hear their voice!  
But not just any voice, _this_ guy`s voice, his baritone notes under the silky lilt….

Speaking of this guy, did he- did he disappear? You couldn`t hear footsteps, or shuffling, or breathing… He`s probably being real quiet! He`s probably standing still!  
What if he`s really gone?

Did he… did he go?

 

You didn`t even hear yourself as you opened your mouth.

 

“Um… Sir? You still there?”

 

An excruciating moment passed.  
Did he… really just go?

 

“…yeah.”

 

YESSSS!!!!!  
Wait. Not the time to get overexcited.

Get your shit together!  
You just fucking called him out of nowhere!!! What were you going to say!!!?!

 

Okay, Y/n, calm down, you can get your way out of this hole, just breathe, breathe. Breathe.

“…why`dya ask?”

“O-oh! Um, Uh, I just couldn`t hear you, so I thought- maybe you`d gone away? Oh, no, please don`t mind me, just… just a habit.”

Just a habit? Wow, really smooth, Y/n, really smooth. What fucking habit _was_ that, even?!

“So! Um, do you live near here? I happen to know another skeleton who came here once-“

To your surprise, the monster in front of you was fast to answer.

“what?”

H-huh? Did you say something wrong?  
Maybe it was because you said it like you were _friends_ with Papyrus?

“Oh! Um… I don`t really _know_ him, but he`s… he was a memorable guy! Really loud voice, really tall judging by where the voice came from- Really happy, too! I think his name was Papyrus?”

The skeleton`s tone had a hint of pride and a hint of confusion when he answered. Deliberate words… he seemed to search for the words in his head.

“…that`s right. p…papyrus. he`s… my brother.”

Oh- every word was perfect. The slow syllables rolled off your eardrums like a cat stretching in a beam of sun.  
Ugh! You really _did_ have a voice kink! Get your shit together!

But- his brother???!! What a coincidence! You gave a little yelp of joy- of course, the two went really well together in your head, Papyrus`s voice and this guy`s, somehow.

“Goodness! I didn`t know that. Should`ve guessed- you two are the only skeletons I`ve met, after all-“

“how… did you know i- i was…”

Um. Oh. Right… How would you explain this???  
Before you could select the least creepy words off your limited mental dictionary, your mouth started babbling away.

“Uh… my sense of touch is pretty accurate- I guess I realized when I touched your finger there? Sorry, sounds real creepy when I say it aloud… I-I`m not _that_ kind of person! Really! Sorry if I weirded you out…”

You trailed off.

GAWD…

“`s okay.”

Whew. Alright. Great.

You mentally kicked yourself and sealed your mouth with a smile. No more talking. No more messing up. Ugh, why were you even this messy all of a sudden? Was it because of his voice? Urgh, it probably was, it was turning you into a messy putty of meat. DAMN. UGH. REALLY.

 

To your relief and dismay, the categorizing ended faster than usual.

The skeleton man was away before you could even register the turn of events so far.

 

You slumped back in your chair, devoid of energy after that insane adrenaline burst. What was wrong with you? What the fuck? You didn`t know you could be so into voices- Or maybe you were destined to, born without sight? God, no, that couldn`t be. Jesus, what the fuck had just happened?

Why did you miss him so much already? The two of you didn`t even have a proper conversation!

You put your head in your hands. Ugh… It`s been a confusing day. Just a little more, and your shift would end. Forget about the skeleton man- you and he parted ways an hour ago. No reason to fantasize over his sexy voice, that was just total weird.

Oh… his voice… Really, what you wouldn`t pay to hear that just one more time. Juuuusst oooooone more time. Please…

 

“you busy?”

 

…

Was this a dream?

 

**Sans**

 

“Brother, we`ll miss the train! COME ON!”

It was good hearing Papyrus`s loud voices coming around again. Those braces did work after all.

“sure, bro… just a sec.”

Now… where was his goddamned hoodie?  
Ah- of course. He put it there every day, slung over his bedpost. Maybe he did need that therapy? …Maybe not, Sans doubted it would help with his memory issues. Besides, he was totally fine in most cases. It was just the simple stuff he forgot from time to time.  
After… after he…

“BROTHER!”

Papyrus`s cheery tone brought Sans to attention, waking him out from his thoughts.

“coming!”

 

Papyrus was excited- Sans, not much so. He already knew what he was in for.  
It was stupid of him to think that going there would actually help him get a job or anything. Papyrus, he was really energetic, his face was getting better every day… A hole-less skull was faster to heal. Him getting a job was only inevitable. He was too cool.

But Sans? Now that was a different matter.

His one good eye was blood-red. His other eye was lifeless, his socket didn`t even move around that useless hole. His skull was caved in on one side with jagged edges, and the extra weight on the other side making his head lean lopsidedly _definitely_ did not help. Fuck those jobs, Sans would be surprised if the receptionist didn`t faint at the very sight of him.

That wasn`t uncommon.

 

Soon, to his dismay, he and Papyrus was at the center.

Human buildings were always so big and fancy, Sans couldn`t help but muse as his one good eye trailed up the tall glassy building. It must be a blast up at the topmost floors- the stars would be as clear as crystals.  
If only he could really get the job… A real job, something he could really indulge in without being forced, something that could take his mind off the memories-

That would be good. Some change in his fucked up, tasteless, dull life.

“I WILL WAIT FOR YOU BROTHER! I AM- I am… I am sure you will get a job, just like me. Just like- OH, YOU ARE MY BROTHER! SURELY YOU CAN DO IT, JUST LIKE I DID!”

“you`re the coolest, bro. sure thing. i`ll… i`ll text you when i`m done.”

“GOOD!”

Papyrus bounded off in the opposite direction.

Sans hated to drag him along to his own problems, but he really couldn`t expect what he would do when he somehow got lost on his way home. Without Papyrus, there was a frighteningly high chance that he would actually be so.  
Especially if he had a shitty day dealing with shitty humans who were frightened out of their minds to even _consider_ hiring him for _anything_. Anything at all.

Sans took a deep breath.

He couldn`t give up, could he? Monsters just got out of the barrier- it would be stupid of him to give up hope when it was only just the potential beginning.  
And Papyrus was around for him… That was more than he ever needed.

Sans pushed the glass doors open with a blind determination.

Calm down, calm down… it would be okay when he tried not to think about anything to much.

Default grin set.

 

“hey… i… i came to apply for…”

The receptionist at the front went pale as Sans approached. Okay! Okay, no further. No more steps. Sans stopped in his tracks at a point that was probably too far for a normal conversation, just close enough to hear each other`s voices.

“O-Oh. A-Are you… Mr. Sans?”

“yep, that`s… me.”

His fucking voice and its fucking drag!!! Couldn`t he speak normally for once?! That very much did not add to his creepy appearance!!!  
Sans fought back the urge to reach up and dig around in his bad socket. That would probably be a very bad idea. The receptionist lady was already gulping dry air.

“Oh… U-Um, the monster applications are- are received o-over there!”

She held out a trembling hand to gesture at the corner of the large marble hall.

Oh.  
A small desk, another formally dressed woman behind it.

Okay, sure.

Shit, and Sans was doing well- maybe not well, but okay- so far! He didn`t want to mess it up _again_! Ugh, he`d have to approach yet another human…

 

Sans approached the desk as carefully as he could, trying not to make a loud noise but trying not to be too quiet at the same time. Last time when he tried to be quiet, the woman had actually screamed when he had started to speak right above her head. Human ears weren`t so keen.  
Sans didn`t want to scare another human and lose his potential job- or at least the chance to apply for one.

Thankfully, the lady at the desk perked up and turned towards Sans`s footsteps. Thank the stars, she wasn`t freaked out!!! How?!?!

Now Sans was scared. Why was she still smiling?

“u…um. i… came to apply…”

 

The lady`s face went slack for a moment that was too long.  
Her eyes stared up at Sans blankly- Fuck. Of course he would screw up. Of course… Things never went as intended.  
Sans was just turning on his heels when the woman called out again, suddenly out of her trance, in the most… bright and… most gentle, warm voice Sans had ever… Oh…

“Oh! OH! I`m sorry about that! Uh, applicant, right? Sure! Um, can you fill out this form for me?”

 

…Bright voice? How…

 

Oh.

Now Sans could see why the woman wasn`t freaked out by the sight of him yet.

It was because… she literally couldn`t _see_.

 

Sans didn`t know much about human anatomy, but he had seen enough blinded monsters to see she was similar. Unfocused pupils, the way her head shifted to every sound. How she seemed to be constantly looking at something very far away.

And now her hand was in the air, a sheet of paper in her grasp for Sans to take.

Sans took immense care not to accidentally touch her or something. Maybe you weren`t freaked out immediately as you could not see- he wasn`t going to risk this peaceful moment by letting her touch his scarred fingerbones.

Then he realized, only after he received the paper, that he didn`t have a pen with him.

Shit.

“u…m… do you have… something to… write with…?”

“Oh! Silly of me, of course! Just a sec- Sorry-“

Sans watched as the lady fumbled around for a pen behind the desk, her fingers skimming around in circles on the smooth surface.

“God, I`m sure it was around here somewhere, I-“

She yelped as one of her frantic hands struck against the tumbler that had been sitting on one corner. It tipped-

And Sans lunged just in time, catching it before it spilled. Good that he did- he could see coffee sloshing around in it, it would`ve made an absolute mess if he didn`t.

“Oh!! Did it spill?!” She squeaked.

Her hands went still on the desk. They were twitching slightly, Sans could see that. It looked like the lady was forcing them to keep still at the desk instead of panicking.

“…no. i caught it.”

Why add the last bit??!!

The woman gasped a little.

Great, now it was over. She was probably scared, she would want her bottle back. Fuck, Sans screwed up-

“Thank you!!”

 

…Huh?

 

“Oh, I`m so terribly sorry for the trouble! As you can see, I`m blind… Ah, I really shouldn`t keep you waiting- Here, i did find the pen after all. Just fill out that form and give it to me, then they`ll find a place for you to apply for…”

She trailed off with a blush coloring her cheeks.

 

It was… wonderful.

 

“I`m talking too much again. Here! It isn`t long.”

Sans took the pen from her grasp unthinkingly- and had to bite back a scream when one rough phalange skimmed across her soft, _soft_ skin.

Didn`t know when he would blow up and reach out for another _head_ dog.

And the woman`s skin was… so… soft…

Sans would hate himself if he had to tear it open- cut her up-

FUCK!  
Not again. No Underground thinking.  
Sans didn`t have to tear her up or anything in here. Her soft pulse could stay the way it was, her skin silky instead of cooked.

And… Oh…

Sans held up the pen he was holding to his nasal cavity. Good thing she was blind- must`ve looked hella creepy. It was worth it, though… Oh, that smell!

 

Smelled like the best things in the world combined. Sweeter than butterscotch pie, subtle like the petals of an echoflower, deep like the depths of waterfall, sharp to his senses like the flames of Hotland. Smelled like emotions he could not name. Smelled like home…

 

“Uh… Are you done?”

 

The woman`s gentle voice woke Sans from his thoughts. He _was_ doen, thankfully, that might have been awkward if he was still working on those simple questions (while sniffing her pen). Sans handed the sheet over, leaning a little to reach her outstretched hand in the air.

“Thanks! Um, could you wait a little? I`m sorry, there aren`t any chairs nearby- It won`t take that long, though!”

The woman winced apologetically, her eyes still fixed on a spot in the air.

“m`kay.”

Okay. Success. No stuttering, no weird phrases.

Sans stood very still, trying not to make a sound that could startle the woman away.

It was… it had been long since someone had talked to him like this, in this tone.

 

Ha, almost like the days when the kid was still around.

 

Sans clenched his teeth. _No Underground thinking._

He was pulled out of his thoughts by the woman`s slightly nervous? Voice.

“Um… Sir? You still there?”

Sans lifted one brow in surprise. Why would she ask that?  
(Not that he was complaining. Her voice was like music- OKAY! Enough of that!)

“….yeah.”

The woman`s face lit up for a second, startling Sans, but she was fast to hide it. Maybe his head was messing with him?

“…why`dya ask?”

“O-oh! Um, Uh, I just couldn`t hear you, so I thought- maybe you`d gone away? Oh, no, please don`t mind me, just… just a habit. So! Um, do you live near here? I happen to know another skeleton who came here once-“

“what?”

Another skeleton? Papyrus? Uh, of course, Papyrus must have been here when he had applied for the job, but-  
And how did she know Sans was a skeleton? Don`t recall telling her that!! Or was his head fucking with him _again_??!

“Oh! Um… I don`t really _know_ him, but he`s… he was a memorable guy! Really loud voice, really tall judging by where the voice came from- Really happy, too! I think his name was Papyrus?”

“…that`s right. p…papyrus. he`s… my brother.”

The lady yelped in surprise.

“Goodness! I didn`t know that. Should`ve guessed- you two are the only skeletons I`ve met, after all-“

“how… did you know i- i was…”

“Uh… my sense of touch is pretty accurate- I guess I realized when I touched your finger there? Sorry, sounds real creepy when I say it aloud… I-I`m not _that_ kind of person! Really! Sorry if I weirded you out…”

“`s okay.”

Sans couldn`t help but smile at the woman`s desperately squeaked words. The unusual movement hurt his usually grim jawline, but it felt good. Weirded out? By her? Haha, what was she even saying? Why would Sans be weirded out by someone as beautiful as-

 

Okay. What?

 

Sans was grateful the woman was blind as he felt a healthy amount of magic rush to his skull, making it cast a dim blue glow over the woman.

Where the fuck did _that_ come from?!

Now he couldn`t wait to get to the interviews! Something he`d been dreading so much, ironic.

 

To his immense relief, the categorizing ended quite fast- and he was in the interview room before he knew it.

 

To his _even more immense_ relief, the interview ACTUALLY WENT WELL.

What the fuck? Had the stars taken pity on him and decided to give him a good day totally out of nowhere? Well, if they had, they had picked _well_!!!

Sans stepped out of the interviewing room with a spring in his step he had thought he would never have. Oh, it was a good day indeed! Papyrus would be delighted to know he had gotten his job- not just a job, but a scientist! A theoretic engineer- was that the right word? Well, his fucked-up head could apparently still wrap itself around calculations and physics. Thank the stars he hadn`t lost _that_ bit.

Sans was just stepping out the building when his soul tugged in his chest. A pang.

…What?

 

Oh. The lady.  
His soul wanted to… see her before he left.  
Her soft skin and her silky hair and her tinkling voice.

 

Why?

 

But Sans`s feet were already taking him to the tiny desk at the corner.

Welp- guess there was no stopping himself now- he thought as he heard himself open his mouth.

 

“…you busy?”


	2. Buy You Dinner?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You attempt to ask the sweet monster out for dinner.
> 
> And heeeey... Didn`t the restaurant open a week ago? How does he know the place already?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys, I`m sorry for the delay! The chapter got longer than I intended, It took me a teensy bit more time.  
> I`m replying to the comments whenever I get the spare time, too, and none of your comments will go unnoticed, I promise- Sorry I`m being so late!
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy this chapter:)
> 
>  
> 
> Check out my Tumblr [over here](https://spaceandsauce.tumblr.com)!

“you busy?”

 

You couldn`t help your face from going slack like a slab of clay at the honey-sweet rumble that reached your ears. Your eardrums were already begging for more- your head had swiveled towards the voice so fast your neck made a pop.

Okay. Okay. He`s just asking if you`re busy. Maybe he needs something. But why you? Asking you out on a date??? NONO, pull your shit together, you`re leaving him hanging! Come on, professional voice! Professional smile!

You managed to squeak out a response. Wow… you just hoped he wouldn`t notice your flaming blush creeping up your neck.

No reason to blush, you scolded yourself. It was just a stupid voice kink you never knew you had. It would be very weird if you had to explain why you were so stuttering and unprofessional to your displeased boss- you had to gather your shit together.

“N-no! Uh, not at the moment!“

“…good.”

Good?  
You tilted your neck a little towards the monster`s voice. It was unsettling how big of an effect his voice had on you- you barely caught how weird his answer was.

Or how meaningful.

_He`s pleased to know I`m not busy! Could this be…?_

Your thoughts trailed off to leave you totally flustered by your own fantasies of this monster somehow hitting you up. Now the blush was probably prominent- you were so hot in the face it felt like a fever. _Please_ , you begged silently, don`t get creeped out!

Okay, maybe getting all blushy and shit _could_ be a little creepy, you had to admit it.

 

“…i…”

I…?

“…maybe… i…”

 

Come on, what are you trying to say?

The slow lilt and rumble of his voice was maddening. His breath dragged at the words like he was flipping through an entire dictionary to find out the words before speaking them. Only two words, but they held so much. It held all his notes at the same time. The rumbling baritone as a firm base, a melodic but subtle accent dancing its way through every syllable, the hiss as the air escaped his mouth, the soft sweet lilt at the top like tiny petals fluttering in the wind… And that hoarse scratch at the very start that you always seemed to catch just a moment after. You couldn`t get enough.

 

“…can… you t…tell me your name?”

 

The barely perceptible yet resonating roll of the _r_. The slight hesitation at the _t_ made everything so much better, the divided hiss of air added to the melody. The way his voice faltered slightly at the usually fluid connection between _your_ and _name_ gave it a strain that held hidden emotions you wanted to read- like a book in a foreign language.

Shit- answer, Y/n! He asked a question!  
You didn`t even realize he was _actually asking for your name_ as you hurried to answer back.

“Um, yeah! Of course! Uh, I`m Y/n L/n, nice to meet you, sir! Um… And your name is…?”

 

That deep baritone held a hint of lightness when it answered this time.

_Wait…_

Did he just ask for your name?

 

“`m sans- sans the skeleton.”

 

It didn`t falter this time, like he was reading a much-practiced line off a script.

Sans… Good name. It sounded nice in his voice- his hiss at the _s_ was something you had never heard before. It was really so subtle, but it made all the change in the world. Maybe it was because he was a skeleton…? Would it be different when the air curled around his teeth instead of another human`s? Did his teeth look the same as yours?

 

_Sans… already a word in your most favored mental dictionary._

 

“Oh! Um, then, Mr. Sans, how may I be of your help?”

Good, good, smooth so far-

A low, uneven chuckle.  
You almost lost it.

His laugh had to be sexy too?! AUGH, this was blissful torture!

“n…not mister. …just sans.”

Oh. OH!

You felt a stupid grin creep up your cheek. Goddamn it, you couldn`t even hide it. Did he actually wanted you to call him informally? Like a friend?? And he even asked for your name??  
Your body swayed slightly along with the up and down with Sans`s voice, giddy with delight like a teen with a crush.

“Heh… Okay, if you want it. Uh, how may I help you, Sans?”

Another low chuckle- a little higher and excited this time. He did hide it well, though.

 

~~…Excited?~~

 

“i… want y…your number-“

Then a sudden _smack_. Huh? Sounded... like a slap?  
Did he just slap himself? Did someone else slap him?

 

And WHAT???!!

 

“My… number?”

You asked, cautious and unsure of the situation around you. Well- if this was a damn dream, you didn`t want to wake up!

 

“i… uh… yes...! no…! i mean… yeah. i`d like… like it.”

…  
Did he really just ask you for your number? In that voice of his? Was this real life? REAL LIFE??!!  
You resisted the urge to pinch yourself to determine if this was a great dream or an unbelievable reality.

Well- in any way- you couldn`t say no to that.

 

“Why not? Uh, should I, uh, say it out loud? You know, I can`t really use screens, especially if they`re… not mine…”

You waited- but the only thing you could hear was the small puffs of air as Sans breathed. Uh, was something wrong? You racked your brain- but it was him who had asked for your number, right…?

“Uh, Sans, my number is…?”

 

You trailed off mid-sentence, a tingle shooting up your arm as something hard and cool nudged softly against your hand at the desk. Your fingers ran along the foreign metal… What- was this a folder phone? Who even had those??

“You have a _folder phone?_ ”  
You couldn`t help yourself from asking in disbelief.

There was a low snort, then a soft scratching sound like porcelain rubbing against porcelain.

“…m…monster phone.”

Oh. Um. Monster phone. Okay- that was interesting! You didn`t know they used separate brands. Did they have other features?  
You typed in your numbers, hoping that monsters would have the same arrangement of numbers. At least the location of the keys was familiar.

“Here! Oh, and- Um… I think-“

You touched the protruded clock on the table. Yep, that`s right.

Okay. He just asked you for your number. That`s definitely a move. There`s nothing weird in asking him out. Nothing. Although you _did_ meet him an hour ago. Okay.

“-My shift ends in ten minutes… so…”

Deep breath! You can do it! Deep! Breath!

“Can… can I buy you dinner? Uh, I know this place- it`s monster-friendly, um, if you`re uncomfortable, so-“

A hiss of air, and a low rumble you didn`t quite catch.  
You stopped dead mid-word. Did you fuck up??

Then his voice again.

 

“…i would lo…like that.”

 

Huh.

HUH?!

He said yes!!!!!!!

YES!!!!!!!!!

You closed your eyelids deliberately as you felt your eyes roll around excitedly in your sockets the blood rushed to your head. God, was this not a dream for real??? Oh lord, you were going out! With a guy! That had asked for your number _first!_ And had the SEXIEST voice in the world! The _DAMN SEXIEST!!_

You felt a flutter in your heart as you tried not to smile too wide. Might be unsettling for him, come on, get yourself together- but your lips were already stretched so wide it hurt. _God, you`d have some fun listening to his voice all evening…_ Wait- not too excited now, it was just a dinner!

O-or… a date, perhaps?  
You suppressed a squeal.

Though you really weren`t sure why he had asked your number (Really, what did he see in you?), you were too excited to care about your insecurities. Your heart just didn`t allow you to stutter out of such simple issues.

“G-great! Um, can you- uh, I`ll go get my stuff!!”

 

Ten minutes could go unnoticed. Whatever.

 

Your trained legs carried you in and out of the staff room, your adapted hands quickly finding your bag and your stuff. You excitedly half-ran, half- jogged to the direction of your desk. Oh, oh, today was a good day! A good day indeed!

“o…over here.”

Sans`s voice beckoned for you from your side. A few feet away- that was where the front doors were, out of the building. Okay… you were doing this, Y/n, you could do this! C`mon!

 

As the two of you turned around the corner nearing the restaurant, Sans let out a startled gasp, cutting you off from your thoughts. The two of you had been very quiet during the whole walk, and you had started to wonder if it was a bad idea to ask him out on a dinner. The fact that the two of you really _barely_ knew each other suddenly dawned on you as mildly disturbing. You were racking your brain to start a conversation when Sans`s voice followed his gasp shortly after.

“grillby`s?!”

Wait- did Sans already know this place? Was that a good thing? You knew they served the most _amazing_ burgers in history, and the fact that it had just recently popped up on this part of the town. Maybe Sans knew the place because it was monster-friendly?

“Yeah! I love the place, they serve the most awesome burgers-“

“-stars.”

Sans`s breathing hitched next to you- was it a mistake bringing him here? There was nothing wrong with the place, though… You couldn`t quite figure out what his sudden reaction was supposed to mean.

“you… know this… place?”

Huh?

“Y-yeah! It just recently opened, though, I ate here just twice… But I really like it here- I guess I probably will be a regular customer in the future.”

That sound of porcelain rubbing against each other again.

Huh…

As Sans became silent once more except for the occasional puff of his breath, which seemed to have quickened.

Okay….?

You would ask him while the two of you ate, you thought as you entered the familiar yet always new scent of grease hit you through the door you had pushed open to enter. A good meal always loosened a man up, right? Your foot fumbled on the high step as you found your balance and finally entered the restaurant.

 

“My favorite guest! Come for more again, this soon? Oh, I missed-“

 

You heard the startling _crack_ of a joint popping behind you, and the friendly raspy voice of the owner died away rapidly. You froze in your place.  
Did the owner… know Sans? How? You thought you had become an acquaintance faster than anyone, they opened just a week ago!

And what was with this silence?! You racked your brain- the restaurant couldn`t have bad blood with any of its customers _already_! And with such a friendly owner… Wait, was that popping sound earlier- Sans cracking his knuckles??  
You felt yourself panicking, vaguely.

 

“grillbz…?”

 

You barely had time to hide your surprise at the disbelief in Sans`s tone when you heard something _crackle and hiss_ in front of you. It was like the sound of a campfire… what the hell? You didn`t dare move- what the hell was going on???

 _Please,_ you begged silently, don`t let this be a fight. Screw the pseudo-date, if this was to be a fight, you could be in harm`s way!

Wait…

Was it just you, or was it suddenly really hot?

Oh, it wasn`t you for sure- there was a literal FIRE in front of you.

_A FIRE!!_

 

You froze in place with your mouth open in a silent scream, unable to move for a split second as panic and terror threatened to suffocate you in their claws. The air was smoky and so hot in was unbearable now- it hurt to breathe, you could feel the insides of your nostrils dry up. The crackling you were now sure was a fire approached you closer and closer.  
It was only a second, but it felt like a whole hour as you turned in what felt like slow- motion.

The only thought in your mind was that you had to get out the front door as you barreled into someone`s chest.

Two arms pushed you away startlingly rough and fast- almost as if you had burned them. You stumbled with a scream, thinking for a split second that you were going to fall into fire, only to land in someone else`s arms. The owner? ‘Grillbz’?

And hey…

 _These were not arms!!!_ Your mind screeched in alarm as your arms pushed away the strange sensation of folds of concentrated air that licked your arms at the point of contact. Yes, they weren`t arms- you weren`t sure what they were, but they were just shaped like arms, definitely _not_ arms. They were uncomfortably hot, not enough to burn but enough to make you sweat where they touched your skin.  
You lost balance as you frantically yanked away from the strange sensation, and you yelped as you felt your body tip over to land hard on the ground with a loud _THUD_.

 

The whole restaurant was suddenly eerily quiet.

The ringing in your ears almost silenced Sans`s huffing breath and the strange crackling that you still couldn`t figure out what the source was.

And… the whispering.

Over the pumping of blood in your ears and the whine of adrenaline, you could hear voices. All around the hushed restaurant, getting louder, getting much louder, now they weren`t whispers, they were shouts…

 

“SANS!!”

“SANSY!!”

“Sans, WHAT THE HELL!”

“You`re HERE!!”

 

You flailed your limbs to stand up, frantically brushing your rumpled shirt and dress. You weren`t sure if it had hitched up during your fall- shit! You felt a blush flush your cheeks as you quickly tugged the fabric over your ass. It _had_ hitched up, it had flipped right over at your behind.

Now that you were up and not as panicking as you had been a few seconds ago, you could finally swivel your head around to get a grasp on what _the hell_ was going on.

The crackling still made your hairs stand on end, but the sound and the heat itself wasn`t serious, you realized. It wasn`t a real fire.  
Sans`s breath was a little calmer behind you, so that meant he was still there.  
Not sure about the strange arms yet- but judging by the sound of shallow breathing, the owner was still there as well. What had Sans called him? Grillbz? Was that his real name? A nickname? A _code name_? Were you getting involved in something you weren`t supposed to?

And what the fuck was the _chanting_??!!

Everyone was chanting Sans`s name over and over, someone actually brushed past you towards Sans`s direction. Judging by the small _oof_ sound, that someone had hugged him- or tackled him, you weren`t sure…

You suddenly felt very much out of place.

You were really confused, no one was telling you what the hell was going on- you had forgotten about how excited you were to get to eat out with a friendly monster, now you just wanted to get out of this place. The loud noises were making you uncomfortable.  
You flailed your arms, shuddering as your hand skimmed across something gooey and clammy. Where was… the door… There! You bit your lower lip as your hand caught at the wooden handle at the door.

 

“wait!!”

 

Sans`s voice echoed into your eardrums, but the noise of the excited customers drowned it out too quickly. Still, it did stop you from swinging the door and stumbling outside- it made you freeze in place, and you had to grit your teeth to stop trembling in fear and confusion.

You swiveled your head around to pinpoint his voice again.

 

_Come on, Sans, I barely know you, yet I stop at your call. Help me._

 

And…

 

Like a beacon in the dark, whatever that meant you now felt like you knew- you felt something burn, searing your chest for a second-

Then weightlessness-

Whiplash as your neck was thrown back at a sudden tug forward.

 

Before you could shout at the strange sensation, your feet hit the ground and you fell to your knees, pawing frantically at the ground to find for anything to grab.

A pair of large- and by that, you meant _large_ \- hands gently grasped your shoulders to get you on your feet. You instinctively reached for the hands on your shoulder, but they retreated as fast as they had come.  
Now that you were on your feet and somehow reassured by that short touch, you realized that the clearing was no longer loud. The only things you could hear were whispers and tentative voices, everyone still at attention but not hyper-excited.

 

“s-sorry. i… didn`t- didn`t k-know. g-g-grillby… an o-old friend-“

 

Sans`s voice was high and breathless as it rumbled right in front of you. Oh- were those hands… Sans`s?  
You managed a tiny smile as you brushed down your skirt once again to check if the clothing was not rumpled or hitched up.

“I`m okay, Sans. You owe me an explanation, though… You still up for that dinner?”

 

Sans`s breathing hitched a little.

Just a little.

 

“I`m sorry, darling, I should`ve told you.”

The strange crackling behind your shoulder made you jump, and you could not hide your surprise when it morphed into words you could hear. And… was that… the owner`s accent? Yes, it was surely his tone…

Okay, what the hell?

You felt a light heat approach your fingers. You instinctively shied away, and you could hear a soft chuckle coming from that crackling voice.

“I am Grillby, owner of this restaurant. Maybe you would`ve guessed… I am a monster. A fire elemental. I am sorry for not telling you earlier, you were… the first human to ever come here and… I did not want to scare you away.”

You froze.

The first human? Then were the other customers all monsters?  
It clicked as the memories flooded your brain.

The sudden squelch behind you that made you jump, but you dismissed it. The sudden heat. The panting of dogs. The unbelievably small height of the janitor, judging by his voice… but you had assumed he was just sitting down or something.  
How the owner- Grillby, now you knew- seemed to be overly kind to you at all times. The flattery wasn`t courtesy.

But now, the only thing you could blurt out was-

“Are you going to burn me?”

 

The two small puffs of breath on either side of you, Sans and Grillby, both stopped for a second.

Then Grillby let out a nervous (what the hell?) laugh as he spoke.

“Of course not, darling… Please don`t be scared. I can control my temperature, you know… Would you like to shake my hand?”

The heat approaching your hand became a little more intense.

 

Okay… should you?

 

You considered backing up and fleeing the place for a second. He did make that weird laugh back there… It wasn`t just you, right? And he hadn`t told you about being a monster either! A fire elemental? Did he know humans weren`t supposed to be touching that stuff…? Was he sure he could control his temperature like the way he said?

But a small voice in the back of your mind whispered like it always did.

 

_Scared…?_

…

No.

 

You reached out quickly, not wasting another moment leaving Grillby hanging- and squeezing your eyes together, grabbed the hotness that touched the tip of your fingers.

Behind you and front of you, the two monsters gasped in unison.

Hey, it actually wasn`t so bad. It was just warm… bordering on uncomfortable, could be. But it was just tingly hot like that first moment when you dipped your foot into a hot tub. It was relaxing, reassuring… This guy really knew how to control his temperature, now, didn`t he?  
You wiggled your fingers in the strange sensation of warm flames for another second before you pulled your hand out of the prolonged handshake. Um, awkward.

“Hey, man, uh, sorry for doing that. You do feel alright! I`m happy I ain`t burnt.”

That rewarded you with a light-hearted chuckle from Grillby. Sans let out a breath behind you that sounded light as well.

 

_Stupid damned fucking blush- It`s just a damn puff of air_

 

“Told you. Anyway, I guess I`ve been holding you two up for too long. I`ll show you to a table.”

The warm hand gently placed itself on your shoulder and steered you towards a quieter corner of the restaurant. You could hear the subtle thumps of Sans`s feet following closely behind the clicks of your heels and Grillby`s shoes.

“Here you go! One Sans Original-“

 

One Sans Original?  
Exactly how well did they know each other?

 

“-and what will you be having, honey?”

“Uh, I`ll be having… Actually, I`ll be having whatever you recommend! I don`t know the menu well yet, maybe you could let me in on your top sellers?”

“Sure, beautiful. One Grillby special it is.”

Sans made a small cough beside you, startling you. There was a small crackle, a small snort- and Sans`s voice, shy when he mumbled the words.

“nice…to see you a-again, grillbz.”

“Make sure to leave a message next time before you disappear, you troublesome monster. We missed you too, Sans.”

The crackle died away as Grillby left the table.

“So- are you two friends?”

You asked, swinging your head to… where you thought Sans would be.

“…yes. back in… the underground.”

“…Are there other humans here?”

Sans took a moment before answering.

“…no.”

Wut? Okay, you didn`t expect that.  
So you had been… uh, stumbling in a monster-filled restaurant, blind to your surroundings and thinking the restaurant was just monster-friendly because the owner had told you so…

 

_”Um, this restaurant is… monster-friendly, miss. Are you okay with that?”_

 

Monster-friendly it was. You just didn`t expect it to be _devoid_ of humans.

You snorted, feeling a slight jolt through the table as Sans flinched.

“wh…what`s so funny…?”

“Haha… I mean, think about it- a blind girl appearing out of nowhere, stumbling into a restaurant filled with monsters, befriending a fire elemental without even knowing he wasn`t human- What would they have thought?”

Sans was silent for a moment, then his chuckle rumbled through the wooden table. You skimmed one tentative hand across the ridges of the annual rings on the wood. His chest was probably pushed to the table, you could feel the soft vibrations as he spoke… You resisted the urge to press your ear to the wood and feel the vibrations spread through your skull.

“is… it… because you are… blind?”

“What is?”

“…not being… afraid of us.”

You mused to yourself, your exploring hands now laced together under your chin in thought.

“Well, initially the blindness does help, I don`t know about first impressions thanks to that- but if you guys were really scary, I would`ve been frightened nevertheless. I guess I get comfortable when I learn about you guys better… And trust me, I think you guys are better than most humans around. C`mon, just look at yourself, coming out to grab a meal with me even though I`m blind and-“

You jerked to a stop. Uh, too far gone. You did not intend to tell him that.  
Sans was eerily silent.

Shit-

“Uh, um, I was just-“

“no.”

“H-huh?”

“i`m… not better because of th-that… i`m… really not a g-good person… it is…”

A pause.

“… _my_ pleasure… to come out here… with y-you.”

 

**Sans**

 

“…you busy?”

Sans had to hold in a breath before the woman started to speak again… and the wait was so excruciatingly long he actually had to remember how to breathe without lungs.  
Her face had gone slack again, her eyes staring into the air near Sans`s face. Even though he knew he didn`t scare the lady, Sans had to stop himself from running away at that exact moment.

Well, to be honest, he wouldn`t have been able to run away even if he felt that way. Not with that sweet blush on her face, not with… not with those plump, soft lips…

“No, uh, not at the moment.”

Her melodic voice woke Sans out of his daydreaming. Shit- Sans forced himself to hide his blush, which deepened even more when he realized she wasn`t able to see the royal blue glow dusting his cheekbones.  
Somewhere in his fucked head, there remained the ability to blush, after all. And actually ask someone for their time.

“…good.”

 

Wait.  
Did he say that out loud?

 

Yes, he did. Apparently.  
Thankfully, the girl didn`t seem to be very fazed by it. Her head tilted slightly, her lips quivering only so slightly Sans barely caught it.

 

“i…”

 

Sans`s voice was acting on its own accord as he addressed the girl. Sans barely recognized the prominent blush on the girl`s face, he was too intoxicated in the way she smelled, her lips, her skin, her eyes… her unfocused eyes, the large unmoving irises, the whirling soft colors, the way the lights sparkled and danced in them, reflected…

 

“…maybe… i…”

 

Silently scooching closer, Sans leaned forward to stare into her unknowing eyes.  
A whirlwind of colors. A tornado of masked emotions. Unseeing, unfocused- but unmoving, bold, unfazed…  
Would they spill tears, would they show terror? Would the flick in disgust when they knew about Sans, _Sans the Collector_?

 

“…can… you t-tell me your… name?”

 

A silent moment passed. Her head tilted, but her unmoving eyes did not follow the movement.  
Sans realized his mistake- He just asked for her name. A person- no, _monster_ she barely knew. Did she even recognize his voice? Did she know it was him from an hour ago, the one who had caught her tumbler and…

No, of course.

Sans was on the verge of turning on his heels and fleeing the place when her voice reached out to him.

 

“Um, yeah! Of course, uh, I`m Y/n L/n, nice to meet you, sir. Um, and your name is…?”

 

_Your voice makes my bones melt and my soul dance, darling._

 

“`m sans, sans the skeleton.”

 

How many times had he said this? It was like a line off a script, devoid of emotion or mercy, the line before the _head dog-_

No. No. Sans caught himself before he could panic again. _Dangerous._

 

“Oh! Um, then, Mr. Sans, how may I be of your help?”

 

Oh…

The sweet tone of her voice was almost comically delightful. She didn`t have a clue, did she? Sans felt something rip at his chest.

_She won`t be smiling if she knew._

But now… her smile, her blush, her cute little cheeks and her small white teeth tugged an uneven laugh out of Sans`s scarred chest.

“n-not mister… just sans…”

 

Sans was going too far. He mentally punched himself- this lady barely knew him! Get a grip, goddamn!

 

“Heh… Okay, if you want it. How may I help you, Sans?”

 

Sans had to chomp back a yelp as he heard his own name roll out the girl`s lips. Sweet… Had anybody called his name like that for- for who knows how long.

 

_Sans! Sans! SANS! Sans the Collector-_

 

Yet now, there was a vulnerable, sweet girl in front of him, oblivious of his deeds… Not frightened. Not intimidated. Smiling.  
Sans felt a blush flushing his face. Her sweet scent wafted up to tickle his nasal cavity, and Sans closed his sockets, a small chuckle escaping him as he basked for a second in oblivious bliss.

_Beautiful._

“i… want… y-your number-“

 

_SMACK!_

 

Sans slapped one hand to his mouth, quick. His sockets were so wide they hurt- he was sure his one good eye was dilated so wide it filled his socket to the brim.

Did he just… _ask for her number??!!!_

Sans had gone way too far. He had gone too far. There was no way- there was no way… He had screwed up. He could`ve just stood there too admire her from a distance away, he could have. Now, she`s going to be scared of him, maybe call the security guard, he`ll never be- never be able to-

 

“My number?”

 

Her confused voice added to Sans`s panic, but his voice babbled off to his deep horror.

 

“i- uh- yes…! n-no…! i mean- y-yeah… i`d l-like… it…???!!”

 

_FUCK! Get your shit together, you insufferable pack of bones-_

 

“Why not? Uh, should I say it out loud? You know, I can`t really use screens, especially if they`re not mine…”

 

What?

WHAT?

WHHHAAAAATTTTT????!?!!!?!?!?!

 

What the FUCK! WHAT IN THE ACTUAL FUCK! What- OH, FOR THE LOVE OF SNOWDIN, WHAT-

What the hell was happening? Was this real life? And why was Sans so flustered? Could it be he was actually- what the fuck! Was he actually doing this?

Okay, maybe Sans _was_ getting a little attracted to this gentle girl and her sweet everythings. Maybe he was. But- that didn`t mean what she said right there was real, right…???

 

“Uh, Sans? My number is…”

 

RIGHT!!! Action first, thinking later, Sans had asked her a question-

Sans shoved his phone to touch her hand on the desk, hoping she wouldn`t notice the trembling in his hand. Her hand fumbled and grasped the phone eagerly.

 

“You have a folder phone?”

 

Her voice made Sans jump. His nerves were so on attention it was damn hard to keep himself from running around the place.  
It was half-amused, half-disbelieving- Oh, right, humans used those touchscreens, right? Were folder phones a little out of fashion?  
Sans let out a snort of laughter, feeling himself relax a little bit. The girl looked a little apologetic about her unintended half-insult towards his phone. Heh- she didn`t even know where to look.

“monster phone.”

Sans couldn`t use touchscreens as well, they just didn`t respond to his bones. Maybe it was because of the lack of his magic, maybe it was because of the texture itself.

The lady`s expression morphed into one of curiosity, her lips puckering up in a little ‘o’ shape.

That`s cute… She has no control over her expressions, did she?

“Here! Oh, and-“

She handed Sans back his phone, her number on the screen. Sans quickly saved her number in fright of clicking the wrong button and deleting it. Her name… Y/n, right…? But…  
It was a little… uh… unflattering to put it as just Y/n…

Besides, she`d never know what he had put in there, right?

**Sweet**

 

Okay. Not weird at all. It`s just-  
Okay, maybe it was a little weird. But there was no other way Sans could describe her voice and her scent, right? And the color of her eyes?

And what was she trying to say back there?

 

“Um, I think-“

A quick touch at the blue clock on the corner of her desk.

“My shift ends in ten minutes, so-“

She furrowed her brows for a second.

“Can I buy you dinner? I know this place, it`s monster-friendly-“

Her nose twitched a little, as if determining whether her wording was okay or not.

“If you`re comfortable, so…”

 

Sans felt his voice catch in his throat as his breath hissed through his nasal cavity.

Did… did she just… offer to buy him a meal?

Offer to buy _him_ a meal?

Why?

No complaining at all, but- for real?

_FOR REAL?_

 

“i would… lo-….l-like that.”

 

_fuck, please don`t catch the slip, don`t catch the slip._

 

And Sans had to bite back a scream of disbelief as the woman`s mouth parted in a wide, wide smile. One so bright Sans actually squinted his sockets. She was… she was happy about it? Really? She was okay with… with going out with a monster?

“Great! Um, can you- uh, I`ll go get my stuff!”

And Sans had to grab the desk to keep himself from crumpling to his knees as you dashed into a door in a corner of the space, your trained legs moving with purpose and your hands skimming over the wall.

This was happening. He was actually getting to go out with someone. A date-  
WAIT, no, just a moment, calm down, he told himself. It`s just a meal, don`t act weird.

 

Although he really weren`t sure why the girl had agreed to go out with him.

Fuck, who cares?! She said yes, that was all Sans needed.

God, when did he become so attached? It`s been like, fucking ten minutes.

 

_But how can I resist your eyes? Your scent, your voice? Your skin?_

 

Sans called out cautiously as you emerged from the room with a jacket over you and a bag in your hand.

“o…over here.”

The girl jumped at his voice, and quickly followed suit in the direction of Sans`s voice. Well, damn…

_So vulnerable. How is she able to survive…?_

And yet, now, she was eagerly carrying herself on her trained legs on a path she had memorized solely by her feet and her touch, leading Sans on and beckoning for him to follow.

 

The walk to the place was very awkward, if anything. Not that Sans was aware.  
He was too busy thinking about two things- One, how absurd this situation was, and two, where _the fuck_ was his emotions were going with this girl in front of him. Oh, one more thing, he was very worried she might somehow step out of the path and fall- but surprisingly, she really knew the streets well.

And now, her legs led the way on to somewhere… this was, this was familiar…

 

The familiar cursive letters met Sans`s eyes, making his one good eyelight almost pop out in surprise.

“ _grillby`s???!!_ ”

 

He hadn`t gone to Grillby`s for a long time, even when he was in the Underground. He did visit secretly, though… out of worry for Grillby, his once beloved friend but turned insane by the pain of failing magic- and out of heart-wrenching nostalgia for the old days.  
That wasn`t an exception for the Overground chain Grillby had opened a week ago, his secret visits were. Sans had come here several times just out of curiosity.

He couldn`t see the inside of the restaurant, though… the doors were not transparent like the ones Snowdin.

And now- the girl was leading him straight to the place!!!!

 

_I know this place, it`s monster-friendly…_

 

Monster friendly, huh? This girl… She probably didn`t know it wasn`t just monster-friendly, there were _only_ monsters in the place… No human ever dared to enter the place.

And now…

“Yeah! I love the place, they serve the most awesome burgers-“

“stars…”

Sans couldn`t help but gasp for breath. The situation had turned so fast it was breathtaking. He couldn`t bail out on the girl here! But what would happen if… if he entered…

“you… know this… place?”

He breathed, hoping you did not know the place well, maybe he could scare you by telling you there were only monsters in this place and maybe you could go somewhere else- Wait, would you be scared, even?

“Yeah! It just recently opened, though, I ate here just twice… But I really like it here- I guess I probably will be a regular customer in the future.”

Sans clawed at his socket. WHAT??!!  
She already visited the place? And she wasn`t fazed by it?  
Wait… the place- i-it had to be different from the one in the Underground, right…?

 

_”Grillby, c`mon, cook us up another tasty morsel, c`mon, you shit!”_

_Harsh laughter filled the dirty tavern, Grillby`s sputtering flames unevenly illuminating the cracked walls. High-pitched screams filled the heavy air as monsters here and there cackled in maniac excitement._

_“Grill… Cook…”_

_Sans closed his sockets in a mixture of unpleasant emotions as Grillby, drooling molten fire and fumbling around in the heated kitchen, advanced toward the hysteric human. The human struggled in vain against the ropes, his tear-smudged eyes desperately looking up at Sans._

_“Hey- Let me go, please! I`ll- I`ll give you anything! Anything you need!”_

_Sans turned his head._

_The humans provided more energy for the monsters if they were cooked alive, and they had nothing to spare…  
Sans gritted his teeth in a swirling frenzy of mixed emotions. With time, they would get dull, he hoped. Every time he ‘collected’, they would fade away, bit by bit. The guilt. The remorse. The despair._

_The hunger._

_“sorry, kiddo, this is what we need.”_

_Sans closed his sockets as Grillby, letting out a feverish cry, pounced on the human. Screams of pain filled the air, along with the chants of the monsters, the hungry snarls of the deranged fire elemental…_

_And the sickeningly sweet smell of cooked meat filling the air in its unveiled disgusting glory._

 

Sans squeezed his sockets one more time before the girl pushed the door open by its wooden handle, silently begging this would be okay. Not like that time in the Underground, please, his old friend…

 

“My favorite guest! Come for more again, this soon? Oh, I missed…”

 

Sans lifted his sockets in quiet awe. He felt one joint on his neck pop from swinging his head up so fast.

 

_Grillby…?_

His old friend…

 

His flames were stilled to a quiet flicker, his voice was controlled to hide the crackle of flames. For the human…? His clothes were just like the ones he had on before the hunger deemed over, and his glasses were new- gold rims, they looked good on him.

And… he wasn`t… he wasn`t crazy, he was… he was fine…

 

“grillbz…?”

 

Sans`s voice was hoarse to his nonexistent ears, sounding very far away as Grillby`s flames rose higher and higher to his original form. Grillby`s glasses teetered on top of his swirling flames. His white-hot eyes widened at the sight of Sans.  
The lady was totally frozen, not making any movement to disturb Sans and Grillby from their awe. Grillby grew ever higher until he reached his maximum form, his flames dancing and licking around his frame as he advanced toward Sans in the silent disbelief of a reunion neither of them knew would be possible.

Grillby`s face erupted in joy. He lunged towards Sans and suddenly-

 

The woman turned, panic evident on her expression, barreling into Sans`s chest.

 

Sans didn`t even have the time to take in the situation before he felt the press of her soft chest to his ribs, the overwhelming scent of her hair, her skin, the pulse of her _blood…!_

Everything went red for a fraction of a second as Sans pushed the girl away from him in a burst of movement. She spun once on her heels, a scream caught on her lips, to fall into Grillby`s arms. She immediately flailed her limbs, tipping over to crash into the ground.

 

Oh no… What did he just d-do…

 

The restaurant was suddenly very quiet.

 

Why…?

 

Were they…

 

Sans`s sockets slowly took in the sight around him.

 

Oh… Doggo. Dogaressa. Dogamy. Lesser. Greater. Pilot. Hanker. Dapple. Shen. Korey. Everyone…

The slow chant of his name exploded as the others took in Sans`s form, their dear friend, known to have disappeared- possibly dead- as soon as the barrier broke. His name repeated over and over again, shouted greetings, tears of joy as they welcomed their old friend back…

The one that had saved everyone`s lives during the famine.

 

Sans, Sans the Collector.

 

Sans huffed as Pilot, a dark, faded pink bird monster, barreled into his chest while yelling “WELCOME BACK SANSY!” He felt a slight movement at his feet- oh, the girl- but he couldn`t reach towards you, the swarming monsters were too much…

No. He had to reach you, you might get hurt! Sans pushed through Pilot, leaning down to-

 

See nothing.

 

Sans felt himself panic. Where were you? Did they trample you to the ground, Dogamy and Dogaressa? Maybe Greater Dog?

And a small creak of the door behind him made him turn his head.

The girl was opening the door, a frightened and pained expression on her face, one hand on the door handle and the other frantically skimming over the glass door. Her eyes were darting to and fro… so different from the calm state they were usually in. That scared Sans.

 

_Don`t go, don`t go…_

 

“wait!!”

 

And, to Sans`s surprise, her hand froze in its place.

 

_Why…? Why… why stop? Why aren`t you running?_

 

She turned her head, messed-up hair falling over her shoulders, her brows scrunched over her unfocused eyes.

 

_I`ll get you._

 

Sans felt his uneven, jumpy magic form a surprisingly smooth swirling in the pit of his chest. Before he knew it, his hand was out- encased in blue, a disformed, dull blue but blue nonetheless- and the lady shot towards him with her soul encased in his blue magic.  
Sans was quick to put her down at his feet. He wasn`t sure if his magic was stable enough.

His hands, trembling, gently grasped her shoulders as Sans helped her to her feet.

 

_She`s… she`s softer than I thought. So… so soft…_

 

Panicked by the confused, scared expression on her face, Sans couldn`t help himself from stuttering.

“s-sorry. i… didn`t- didn`t k-know. g-g-grillby… an o-old friend-“

His old friends, around him, were now watching with surprise as she brushed down her skirt to turn and face him… with that old smile back, just a tiny little bit.  
They would be okay to wait a bit, he`d make up later. Now, the girl came first, somehow, somehow... It just felt... right...

They better not mess up this time, she must`ve been scared out of her mind- Sans wasn`t going to risk it a second time when she had the guts to smile through the first.

“I`m okay, Sans. You owe me an explanation, though… You still up for that dinner?”

_Thank you. Thank you for not being scared._

 

“I`m sorry, darling, I should`ve told you.”

Grillby`s voice made the two jump. Did- did Grillby know her… Wait, of course he would know her. How many humans would come into this place?  
He reached out, his fingers giving off waves of heat, and the girl shied from his touch… towards Sans. Sans backed up, shuffling his feet in surprise… but he couldn`t help but feel a small bloom of warmth blossom in his chest.

 

_You aren`t scared by me?_

 

“I am Grillby, owner of this restaurant. Maybe you would`ve guessed… I am a monster. A fire elemental. I am sorry for not telling you earlier, you were… the first human to ever come here and… I did not want to scare you away.”

Mmhmm, that was why he was hiding his original height and crackles in his voice.

 

“Are you going to burn me?”

 

Sans and Grillby both froze.

Their eyes and sockets met for a second- yes, Sans knew Grillby, too, was thinking about- about the times back at the-

 

Grillby forced a laugh.

 

“Of course not, darling… Please don`t be scared. i can control my temperature, you know… Would you like to shake my hand?”

And, to both Sans and Grillby`s surprise, the girl took a deep breath and closed her hand around the trembling one Grillby had offered. Sans stifled a gasp- did she really just…

Her eyes became dreamy as her mouth hung open, her fingers wiggling against Grillby`s flickering flames. Grillby`s face erupted into a smile. She felt around for a few more seconds, and with her eyebrows suddenly shooting up, she yanked her hand away in embarrassment for having toyed with Grillby`s hand for too long.

“Hey, man, uh, sorry for doing that. You do feel alright! I`m happy I ain`t burnt.”

Grillby laughed, making Sans smile as well.

“Told you. Anyway, I guess I`ve been holding you two up for too long. I`ll show you to a table.”

Grillby put one reassuring hand on the girl`s shoulder, gently steering her and Sans to a table in the far corner. Monsters eyed Sans and the girl curiously as they went past.

 _Is she your…?_ Korey started to mouth, but Sans winked and put one finger to his teeth. Korey`s mouth snapped shut, a knowing look in his eyes.

 

Wait. Did he just wink?

Huh?

 

Trying to quieten his beating soul, Sans and the girl sat down as they arrived at a quiet table.

“Here you go! One Sans Original, and what will you be having, honey?”

 

_Ah… the good old days._

 

The girl`s face slackened as she racked her brain. Finally, she opened her mouth with a meek smile.

“Uh, I`ll be having… Actually, I`ll be having whatever you recommend! I don`t know the menu well yet, maybe you could let me in on your top sellers?”

Oh… Just… so kind. A jewel.

“Sure, beautiful. One Grillby special it is.”

Grillby winked at Sans.

His old friend…

“nice…to see you a-again, grillbz.”

Sans mumbled, blushing in joy as Grillby patted his shoulder. Oh… Why did he even wait for this moment so long? This sweet, sweet reunion?

“Make sure to leave a message next time before you disappear, you troublesome monster. We missed you too, Sans.”

Sans didn`t even have the time to apologize as Grillby left the table, a knowing wiggle playing on his flickering brows.

 _Good time with the gal,_ He mouthed as he disappeared behind the counter.

 

Sans felt a flush creep up his neck.

 

_Is it that obvious now?_

 

“So, are you two friends?”

 

The girl`s voice startled Sans out of his daydreaming.  
Her head swung over to a little left to where Sans was sitting.  
Sans scooted over to where she was staring. Better not to scare her by sitting too close when she wasn`t expecting.

“…yes. back in… the underground.”

“Are there other humans here?”

 

Oh… Would she be scared when Sans said no? Would she run away? Would she get uneasy?

A dishonest _yes_ lingered sweetly at the rim of his teeth, but…

 

He couldn`t start lying already, now, could he…?

 

“…n-no.”

 

The girl pursed her lips.

 

_No, please… don`t be scared, please, they`re all friendly…_

 

And Sans was shocked to his bones when the girl`s mouth parted in a sweet giggle.

 

_Your laugh is sweeter than your voice, how is that possible?_

 

“wh…what`s so funny…?”

“I mean, think about it- a blind girl appearing out of nowhere, stumbling into a restaurant filled with monsters, befriending a fire elemental without even knowing he wasn`t human- What would they have thought?”

 

Sans stared in awe at the giggling girl. Did she really think that? Not scared?

His own laugh rumbled through his chest as his disformed skull wrapped around the delicious, almost unbelievable situation.

“is… it… because you are… blind?”

“What is?”

What is? What is? Doesn`t she realize how much danger she could be in, with all those monsters, if she wasn`t on the Surface…

“…not being… afraid of us.”

Her fingers laced together as her eyes slowly rolled from side to side as she picked her words.

“Well, initially the blindness does help, I don`t know about first impressions thanks to that- but if you guys were really scary, I would`ve been frightened nevertheless. I guess I get comfortable when I learn about you guys better… And trust me, I think you guys are better than most humans around.”

She shrugged slightly, smiling… Her smile was a little off- Faint, faded…

“C`mon, just look at yourself, coming out to grab a meal with me even though I`m blind and-“

She froze mid-sentence, her eyes freezing in place where they quivered.

 

Was that fear in her eyes?  
And not just any fear.

Sans recognized that fear. The feeling of being rejected. The feeling of being discriminated. The fear of segregation. Fear of being treated differently… Because… because she was blind.

That expression was what Sans wore too frequently out on the Surface.

That expression was what crossed Papyrus`s face from time to time, although he was excellent at hiding his emotions behind his blunt, sunken sockets.

 

“Uh, um, I was just-“

“ _no._ ”

“Huh?”

Her eyes trembled.

 

Sans could tell her how better she was than the ones with their distasteful eyes wide open and searching. He could tell her how beautiful her calm eyes were, how the lack of sight took nothing away. How she deserved much better than that dull self-hate and the things that had brought her to think so.  
How he understood her.

But now- now was not the time, he would tell her… later… if he had the chance to.

Now, he just wanted to tell her how bright she was.

 

_So bright, you`re melting my magic right off my bones. You say I`m tolerating you, why can`t you see it`s the exact opposite? I`m lucky, not you…_

 

“i`m… not better because of th-that… i`m… really not a g-good person… it is…”

 

_You have got to know how much of a privilege this is to me._

 

“… _my_ pleasure… to come out here… with y-you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Comments on what Sans and the Reader should do next are welcome, I`m planning to make this fic together with you guys!
> 
> Thanks for all the love, guys<3 You`re the best!


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